Whitewater-Baldy Fire 22% Contained

Although a thick plume of smoke is still being released by the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire, in New Mexico, USA, there appears to be less smoke than before (click here for previous images of the blaze), as the fire is now 22 percent contained. Here, the plume of smoke is blowing northeastward, and a large area of smoky haze can be observed in the upper right quadrant. Caused by lightning, the fire, ablaze in steep, unaccessible terrain, has been burning for three weeks. The nearby private ghost town of Mogollon had been evacuated as a precaution, but that order was lifted Monday and residents are back home.